CAREER: Molecular Genetic Analysis of the Dictyostelium discoideum Developmental Regulator FbxA -- A Strategy for Integrating Research and Teaching

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This project describes a strategy for integrating research and teaching in the undergraduate Biology curriculum at Allegheny College. The research interests of the PI, Dr. Margaret K. Nelson, focus on understanding the mechanisms by which distinct cell fates are established and maintained over the course of development. She uses the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum as her experimental system. Dr. Nelson's analysis of FbxA, a protein that regulates several aspects of development, has three specific aims: 1) to identify of the signaling pathway(s) regulated by FbxA, 2) to characterize FbxA structure, function, and transcriptional regulation, and 3) to use Dictyostelium as a vehicle for incorporating investigative labwork at the introductory undergraduate level. FbxA is a member of a family of proteins that regulate developmental signaling pathways via targeted protein degradation. Identifying the targets of FbxA-mediated degradation is a crucial step in determining which developmental pathways FbxA regulates. Two parallel approaches will be employed to achieve this goal. FbxA itself will also be more completely characterized, via determination of its cell type-specific roles, creation of a dominant-negative allele, and promoter analysis. The importance of targeted protein degradation as a developmental regulatory mechanism is only now being realized. More detailed analysis of FbxA and the pathway(s) it regulates is likely to make a significant contribution to this growing field. This CAREER project illustrates how Dictyostelium, which is both student-accessible and amenable to sophisticated molecular genetic analysis, can be used to integrate research into courses at all levels of the curriculum. Through its junior seminar and senior project requirements, the Allegheny Biology Department has a long history of successfully involving undergraduates in independent research. This award supports the use of Dictyostelium in a new laboratory course, Biology 290: Investigative Approaches in Biology, making research training an integral part of the introductory curriculum. Students will work in small groups to design and execute independent experiments. Assistance with experimental design and interpretation will be provided as part of a weekly discussion section. Student projects will culminate in written and oral presentations. This proposal describes several related sets of four-week modules, incorporating research questions raised by investigations of FbxA and introducing students to a variety of techniques.